Federal officials said that a massive, 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck east of Australia Wednesday morning posed no threat to the West Coast after reviewing available data.
The quake, which struck in an area southeast of the Loyalty Islands, was measured at a depth of just over 6 miles beneath the surface of the ocean, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Shortly after the quake was recorded, officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said there was “no tsunami warning, advisory, watch or threat” to California, Oregon, Washington state, Alaska and British Columbia, Canada.NOAA issued a tsunami warning, however, for the South Pacific Ocean nation of Vanuatu and for Fiji.At least four other moderate quakes hit near the Loyalty Islands Wednesday, USGS data show, each measured around 6 in magnitude.
Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa
.Source: 7.7-magnitude quake hits near Australia, but poses no tsunami threat to West Coast
